What was the MOST BIZARRE thing a pt has been brought to ER for (and lived to tell)?

sqky · Nov 22, 2006

3 years ago I floated to ER. My first patient was a guy and his girlfriend came in for moral support. He was complaining of not being able to void. I bladder scanned him and he was over 1000cc.

The story came out after I asked him how long it had been since he had voided. He causually said, "Ever since she (pointimg to his girl friend) put the pinto beans in my member to see how far they would shoot out when I pee."

He ended up in surgery. The the dried pinto beans had swollen from exposure to the urine and he could not pass them.

After they left the ER other nurses told me they were monthly visitors to the ER for foreign body removal from their private places.

When will people learn! lol

lozza81 · Nov 23, 2006

Yesterday we had this guy come in after query being exposed to radiation, as he was digging up toxic waste without protective clothing for two days. He came in because he had these blisters that had come up on his chest. We had 3 fire trucks come out, the hazmat team, they locked down the ER, had the news there etc. In the end, turned out that the blisters were chicken pox, LOL!

SammyBSN · Nov 23, 2006

I don't work in ER, but I have access to the ER computer system as I used to float. One day in observation, we were scanning the ER pt's for our possible admits, and the best pt c/o I have ever seen was there:

dx: Licked by dog

Pt complaint: "Pt states she was licked on the back of the head by a big dog. Pt also states the bottle from the freezer was in the dog bowl."

Further investigation revealed that the lady had a psych hx. Go figure. :)

emsboss · Nov 23, 2006

Fish hooks!!!!!!!!!!!!!...OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...Our ED took out 84 fish hooks out from June 1st thru August 31st. We are located in one of the most famous salmon fisheries in the U.S. and we have been keeping track for years. I think our record (so far) has been around 150 in one summer. We call it "combat fishing" and HIGHLY recommend ballistic lenses in glasses and a cap at a minimum for protection. We have two cut-outs, a male and a female figure, and we put the hooks on the as we remove them. Lots of comments on them.

Altra, BSN, RN · Nov 24, 2006

Fish hooks!!!!!!!!!!!!!...OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...Our ED took out 84 fish hooks out from June 1st thru August 31st. We are located in one of the most famous salmon fisheries in the U.S. and we have been keeping track for years. I think our record (so far) has been around 150 in one summer. We call it "combat fishing" and HIGHLY recommend ballistic lenses in glasses and a cap at a minimum for protection. We have two cut-outs, a male and a female figure, and we put the hooks on the as we remove them. Lots of comments on them.

:chuckle Great stuff ...

mgalloLPN · Nov 26, 2006

I heard about this one: a couple had decided to get frisky with some toys...in the literal sense.......he stuck a tonka toy figure where it shouldn't have gone and neither one could get it out. Went to the ER, doc did a speculum exam. When he opened the bill and looked in he saw the toy's smiley face looking right at him. He wrote up a fake delivery report, complete with Apgars. Mean? Maybe, but it gave the staff a laugh.

ooohhh boy, that's a great one *sigh* :lol2:

lozza81 · Nov 26, 2006

Christmas day 2005, had a guy come with a ring stuck around his member (apparently for increased pleasure), took the docs about an hour to cut it off, coz his member was so swollen, it was getting blacker, as each minute went by, pt self discharged himself once it was taken off and he regained full colour, not sure about full use, though!

JessicRN · Nov 26, 2006

We had a guy who came to the triage desk with a complaint of chest pain. He had a butcher knife sticking out of his chest and it was pulsating. The guy went to the OR and they found the knife was lying right beside the and touching the heart. Apparently he got in a fight with his wife and she stabbed him :nono:

LizViz · Nov 28, 2006

I was lucky enough to be working Recovery Room and drew the short straw to recover a lady who had been in an MVA. She was the passenger - the driver walked away.....they had hit a wooden fence and one of the supports - a 20cm round wooden pole had gone through the windscreen and impaled her through the chest onto her seat. First round surgery removed the bulk of the poles length and stabilised her, but she still arrived in recovery with a big chunk sticking out front and back, propped up in a "Comfortable" position with pillows. Uneventful recovery on my watch and then went back the next day after massive doses of antibiotics to have the whole thing taken out. Apparently only liver damage as the rest seemed to "move out of the way"!!!

Also had a guy who tried the suicide thing. Jumped from a 3 storey building, clipping a balcony and breaking pretty well every bone on the left side only to be impailed on the steel fence below spearing his right side.......yes he survived and turned over a new leaf and is still hanging around the pysch wards.

danissa, LPN, LVN · Nov 28, 2006

Also had a guy who tried the suicide thing. Jumped from a 3 storey building, clipping a balcony and breaking pretty well every bone on the left side only to be impailed on the steel fence below spearing his right side.......yes he survived and turned over a new leaf and is still hanging around the pysch wards.

sorry lizviz, not a funny thing,, BUT, isn't that like something from a Airplane movie or sick comedy like that! Feel a saddo for having a giggle, poor guy!!

mgalloLPN · Nov 28, 2006

These are great. Keep them coming

LizViz · Nov 28, 2006

sorry lizviz, not a funny thing,, BUT, isn't that like something from a Airplane movie or sick comedy like that! Feel a saddo for having a giggle, poor guy!!

Hey, we were all shocked by his injuries to start with until we got the whole history, and yes, unfortunately, we couldn't help but have a giggle about the whole thing to - obviously just wasn't his time to go!!!!!